Your Right to a Yaz Lawsuit, Yasmin Lawsuit, or Ocella Lawsuit

Sunday August 02, 2015

Thousands of lawsuits have already been filed against the manufacturers of Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the advertising campaign for these pills to be false and misleading. Medical studies have also linked this line of contraceptives to serious health risks beyond the risks posed by other birth control pills. Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella are the only oral contraceptives to use a new type of progestin called drospirenone, which has been shown to dangerously increase the risk of blood clots and related side effects.

If you or a loved one experienced a stroke, pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or other blood clot injuries after taking these pills, you may have significant legal rights. To find out now if you have grounds to file a Yaz lawsuit, Yasmin lawsuit, or Ocella lawsuit, call us at (888) 824-5105 or send a message using our brief online form.

Yaz, manufactured by Bayer, was reported to be the most popular birth control pill in the United States. In 2008, sales of Yaz totaled $616 million and captured 18 percent of the U.S. market share, while sales of its predecessor, Yasmin, totaled $383 million and claimed 11 percent of the U.S. market share. Sales reached $781 million by 2009. Other reports have stated that Yaz sales reached nearly $2 billion per year after its release on the market in 2006.

This popularity, however, is alleged to have been built on a false and deceptive marketing campaign by the drug's manufacturer. Independent medical studies now show that Yaz, its precursor Yasmin, and generic form Ocella can pose a three-fold increase in the risk of blood clots when compared to other oral contraceptives. Evidence also suggests the manufacturers failed to warn patients and their doctors of this known risk while continuing to market the drugs as safe and effective.

Yaz Lawsuit Alleges False Advertising and Failure to Warn Consumers

In July 2003, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reprimanded Berlex Laboritories, later acquired by Bayer, over its marketing of Yasmin. The FDA warned Berlex that its TV advertisment of Yasmin was false and misleading, and raised significant public health and safety concerns. Specifically, the FDA found that the Yasmin ads made false claims regarding the efficacy of the drug, its safety, and its superiority over other pills.

In October 2008, the FDA again warned that two of Bayer's TV advertisments for Yaz were false and misleading. The Yaz ads similarly overstated the efficacy of the drug and downplayed the increased risks posed by drospirenone. In addition, the Yaz ads encouraged use of the drug to reduce symptoms of PMS, such as irritability, bloating, headaches, moodiness, and fatigue. Bayer made these claims even though the FDA-approved label for the drug specifically stated, "YAZ has not been evaluated for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)."

In March 2009, the FDA sent a third warning letter to Bayer. This time, Bayer's advertisement failed to warn of any risks associated with Yaz. The FDA found this omission "particularly concerning" since the FDA previously required that the labeling for Yaz contain a Boxed Warning - the strongest safety warning required by the FDA. The advertisement also implied that Yaz could benefit all patients with acne, even though the drug was only approved for the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris in a limited patient population.

Yaz Lawsuit Alleges that Truth Came Too Late for Most Victims

In February 2009, before its latest violation, Bayer began running a corrective ad campaign to clarify the statements of its previous advertisements. These corrective ads were required as part of a legal settlement with the FDA and the attorneys general of 27 states. By that time, however, an untold number of women may have already been injured. From 2004 through 2008 alone, the FDA received over 50 reports of death among users of Yaz and Yasmin. Cardiac complications, blood-clots, stroke, and elevated potassium levels were reported in the fatal cases, which included victims as young as 17 years of age.

In April 2012, the FDA analyzed mounting evidence of Yaz blood clots and required that new safety warnings be included in the product label for all pills containing drospirenone, such as Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella. Unfortunately, this updated safety information may have come too late for thousands of women allegedly injured by Yaz blood clots, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis. It remains to be seen whether the new safety label will have any effect in preventing future injuries.

Choose an Experienced Law Firm to Pursue Your Yaz Lawsuit or Settlement

Our law firm has over 20 years' experience in representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. We encourage all individuals with a potential Yaz lawsuit, Yasmin lawsuit, or Ocella lawsuit to speak with a qualified Yaz lawyer in a timely manner to ensure their legal rights do not expire.

Our firm represents clients from across the United States in complex pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. The information on this website should not be construed, however, as a representation that the firm’s lawyers are physically present or admitted to practice law in specific jurisdictions.

This website is not associated with, sponsored by, or authorized by the manufacturers or distributors of Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, Gianvi, or any other medical product. Contacting our firm or submitting an online inquiry through our website does not constitute an adverse event report to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor to the manufacturers or distributors of Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, Gianvi, or any other medical product.